Garment-hanger.



J. A. MACPHERSON.

GARMENT HANGER.

APPLICATION FiLED JUNE 2|. I915.

Patented; Nov. 28, 1916.

pnrrn s ra'rns rarnn r ora ion JOHN ALEXANDER MACPHERSON, 6F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BENJAMIN J. BUGKINGHAM, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GARMENT-HANGER.

moi-rear.

Application filed June 21, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN ALEXANDER "rnnnson, a citizen of the United States, ling in Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment-Hangers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in garment hangers of that type designed to support an entire suit of wearing apparel, such as the coat, vest and trousers of a mans suit, or he waist or jacket and skirt of a womans suit. Such general form of hanger has been in use and the advantages of the same are well known. There is, however, a decided objection to this type of hanger. In utilizing the same it occurs frequently that the trousers, skirt, or other garment are not positioned properly on the suspension or cross bar usually employed so as to insure their retention thereon. The weight of the garment such for example of a pair of trousers when unequally disposed on opposite sides of the fold over the bar will cause the garment to slip on the bar and to fall from the hanger, and there is nothing at present provided to insure the garment remaining on the hanger unless the greatest care is exercised in distributing the weight thereof with respect to the suspension bar.

The present invention, therefore, aims to provide a garment hanger embodying in its construction simple and efiicient means. for obviating the objection noted, and by which a garment will be held positively on the hanger until desired for use.

I will describe my invention with particular reference to the hanging of mens suits.

The invention also has in view the provision of a garment hanger the retaining means of which, as aforesaid, are of such character as to ad apt thehanger for the sus pension of trousers or other garments of varying thicknesses.

With these general objects in View, and others which will appear as the nature of the improvements is better understood, the invention consists substantially in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illus trated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a garment hanger constructed in accordance with the present invention, a

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, w th.

Serial No. 35,255.

portion being in section, the retainer being shown in raised, or non-restraining position. Fig. is a similar view of the hanger, the retainer being lowered to illustrate its restraining position in connection with a garment shown in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation illustrating the inner face of one of the hanger arms at the point where the receiving socket for one end of the retainer is provided, as on the line 33, Fig. 1. Fig. lis a side elevation of a garment hunger in connection with which an alternative form of retainer is employed. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 55, Fig.

Referring now in detail to the accompanying drawings, the numerals 1 and 2 designate the downwardly diverging arms of a garment hanger, the upper surfaces of which are shaped or fashioned in the conventional form to adhere to the contour of the gar ment to be suspended, such as a coat or vest, or both. Spanning the space between the free ends of the arms 1 and 2, and suitably connected to said ends, is a horizontal suspension bar 3. Although primarily intended for'use in connection with inens apparel, under which circumstances the bar 3 receives a pair of trousers, as is usual, the hanger is, of course, adapted for use with ladies garments as well.

To avoid the objection previoi'isly noted herein-that the garment suspended by the bar is liable to displacement therefrom unless carefully positioned thereon, it is the purpose of the present invention to employ means for positively coiiperating with said bar to hold upon the latter any garment which may be placed on the same. To this end an elongated flexible retainer 4r is employed. This retainer is preferably in the form of a thin ribbon of steel. Its length is such that in positioning the same between the arms 1 and 2 it will assume a bowed position, clearly illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The retainer l lies insubstantial parallelism with the suspension bar 3, and for the purpose of holding the retainer in juxtaposition to said bar each of the ends of the retainer is received by a polygonal socket 5 formed in the inner face offeach of the arms 1 and 2 and at a point slightly remote from the bar 3. The ends of the retainer fit in the oppositely-disposed angles of the sockets 5 and the retainer is thereby prevented turning in said sockets. Engagement of the flat face of the retainer with the suspension bar 3 is thus assured. It is only necessary to thrust the ends of the retainer 1 into said sockets and the resiliency of the retainer is sufficient to hold the same in the sockets without any fastenings. The

I length of the retainer 4 is greater than the distance between the points at which its ends are seated on the arms 1 and 2. This permits it to be bowed or flexed at either side of'the points of its connection with these arms.

By reason of the length of the retainer and the resulting bowing of the same after its ends are positioned in the sockets 5, the elasticity or resiliency due to the bowed form will hold the retainer either in the restraining position illustrated in Fig. 2, or in the non-restraining position shown in Fig. 1. Obviously itis but necessary to apply sufficient pressure to the retainer 4- to force the same to either one side or the other of a line extending between the sockets 5, whereupon the retainer will spring to restraining or non-restraining position, as determined by the position from which it is to be moved. When moved to restraining position, a substantial portion of the length of the retainer 4, due to its thin, flexible form, is in contact with the bar 3, or the garment suspended by the latter, so that pressure is exerted against the bar by the fiat contact face of the retainer throughout a comparatively large portion of the length of the bar.

In Fig. 4 is illustrated a retainer of alternative form to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This consists of a ribbon 6 similar in all respects to the ribbon employed in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but in lieu of providing sockets in the diverging arms of the hanger for the reception of the ends of the retainer, a U-shaped chip 7 is secured to each end of the retainer 6, as by riveting 8, or an equivalent fastening, and each of the clips 7 embrace the sides of the contiguous arm of the hanger to which the clip 7 is applied. The clip 7 may be attached to the hanger arms bypriek punching, as at 9, or any other suitable fastening means may be substituted therefor. The advantage of the construction illustrated in Fig. 4 will be seen from the fact that the retainer therein disclosed may be applied to the conventional form of hanger now, commonly used, and consisting only of the diverging arms 1 and 2 and the suspension bar 3.

The hanger is, of course, provided with the usual suspensory hook 10. o

In the use of the hereindescribed hanger. if the same be employed in connection with five cents each, by addressing the Washington, I). 6.

a suit of mens apparel, the trousers are folded over the suspending bar 3 as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. Obviously the retainer has been moved to non-restraining position, as illustrated in Fig. 1, before the trousers are so applied. When properly positioned upon the suspension bar 3 pressure is exerted upon the retainer 4 so that the same is caused to move to the restraining position illustrated in Fig. 2. In this movement the expansible force of the spring is shifted from above the ends of the retainer to a point below said ends, and in cooperation with the suspension bar 3 the retainer serves to hold the garment upon said bar without liability of accidental displacement. Until sufiicient pressure is applied to the retainer to shift it to non-restraining posi tion, there is no liability of the garment leaving the suspension bar. The garment is not only, therefore, firmly held in position. but it is not necessary to equalize the weight of the garment at the sides of the fold over the bar 3. It is possible in utilizing the present invention to suspend the trousers at full length from the bar 3, and thus enable the weight of the trousers to assist in retaining their shape.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A garment hanger, comprising a pair of dix ergent arms, a horizontal bar extending between the free ends of said arms, and a pressure device extending from one of said arms to the other and having its ends separated from the bar, said pressure device having a flat contact face for cooperation with said bar to hold the suspended garment against movement relatively to said bar.

2. A garment hanger, comprising a pair of divergent arms, a suspension bar extending between the free ends of said arms, and

an elongated flexible retainer having its ends seated on said arms at points separated from the suspension bar, said retainer being of greater length than the distance between the points at which its ends are seated on said arms, whereby to how the retainer at either side'of the points of its connection with said arms and thereby hold the retainer in restraining and non-restraining positions, the retainer when flexed toward the suspension bar cooperating with the latter to restrain movement of the garment suspended by the bar.

JOHN ALEXANDER MACPI-IERSON.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM N. CRoMwnLL, T. D. BUTLER.

"Commissioner of Patents, 

